Richard Sherman's Trash Talk

Is Our Society Manly Enough To Handle Trash-Talking?

Don't kid yourselves: there's as much trash talk in the silent stares of some athletes as Richard Sherman could unleash in a 15-minute interview.

Fans of the NFL are already well-acquainted with Richard Sherman and his brand of trash-talking, but the general public got a taste after a video of Sherman denouncing San Francisco wide receiver Michael Crabtree has gone viral.

Twitter, Google Trends and social media sites like Reddit exploded in reaction to the clip, with many people taking issue with Sherman's lack of sportsmanship and perceived childishness. Another video, of Sherman attacking sports commentator Skip Bayless — saying, among other things, that he was "better at life" than the ESPN analyst — has enjoyed renewed popularity.

Whatever your feelings on Sherman, the truth is that trash-talking has a place in sports — always has and always will. We men are inherently competitive, liable to talk trash over everything from video games to who has the greener lawn. The list of great trash-talkers bears this out; it's basically a roll call of great competitors, people at the very top of their respective fields.

But in the wake of negative public opinion and the media firestorm that Sherman's antics created, the question on many minds is whether or not the NFL should sanction Sherman and take steps to eliminate, censor or generally discourage future outbursts. It's all but impossible to prevent players from talking to one another on the field (or rink, or court) but press conferences, interviews and other moments in the spotlight could all be sterilized with surprising effectiveness.

But where would be the fun in that? Trash-talking is an integral part of sports or any other competitive endeavor. Sure, you could argue it's childish, that the better athlete should be able to keep quiet and bask in his own greatness. But don't kid yourselves: There's as much trash talk in the silent stares of some athletes as Richard Sherman could unleash in a 15-minute interview. The truth is that it's entertaining. Richard Sherman now has a Bronco-shaped target on his back. He has put himself in the spotlight to either succeed and live up to his own hype or fail and subject himself to the worst Twitter chatter and negative internet memes that the world can offer.

Where would we be without Muhammad Ali's poetic trash talking, or Mike Tyson's hilarious-but-still-frightening rants about orphaning his opponent's children or eating his opponent's soul? Look, we're not advocating for universal acceptance of what is, admittedly, bad behavior. Don't go around flaunting your accounting skills with chest thumps and "yo mama" insults. But recognize that what guys like Richard Sherman do — putting their bodies on the line, night after night, for the scrutiny of the world — creates the kind of competitive spirit that sustains trash talk.